8. Ridiculous

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The only thing ridiculous about this overused word is the number of times it’s used in everyday speak. Ridiculous means laughable, deserving of ridicule or something just downright preposterous. Now, while people tend to get the meaning (vaguely) correct for this one, four-syllable words like this are best saved for situations where things truly are absurd — if your dog ate your homework, that’s ridiculous because it’s almost worthy of a laugh. There are better words to use than this tongue twister and no, “ri-donk-ulous” is not one of them.